Author's note: This is a Final Fantasy XV story based on the trailers showcased during the Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV event (March 30/31, 2016). I know I should get on with my other works, but my exams are dreadfully close now! I'm happy I managed to write something for my mind and soul. I'm sick of too much Geography and History! :( I'm trying my best, dears. Hope you'll like this one too!

Title: His New Family

Rated: T

Main characters: Lunafreya, Noctis, Stella, Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus

Relationships: Luna/Noctis and Stella/Prompto

Planned as a multi-chapter story

He had been declared dead.

But why? It couldn't be! Her most beloved prince, her betrothed, her king…

Princess Lunafreya dropped the offending newspaper to the ground. As it fell, the page bringing the news about the Crown City remained visible. A bolded headline stretched from left to right, reading: "Peace treaty broken with no mercy!"

She felt like crying, screaming, running away, cursing her fate – all these at once. There had been people in Insomnia, the royal capital, whom she knew. People who had committed no crime, but lost their life on this day during the unexpected attack unleashed by Niflheim. That wretched empire! Since the day it had been established, its only craving had been to conquer the world.

Luna had to lean her forehead on her palm, because the pain was excruciating, searing the little that was left of her energy. She would never be able to see them again! The authorities calculated an outraging number of casualties, although it was still growing steadily, as more and more victims were dying in hospitals. As if it had not been enough! Luna's fist hit the tea table, then a slight squeal escaped her lips. The day had started too well, with a bright sun warming Altissa, the city built on water, surrounded by foamy and rich waterfalls. Barely had she asked her sister to join her for the morning green tea when one security guard knocked on her door. Then she met his grievous eyes and he spoke: "I bring you grave news." Luna received the newspaper… the guard left after he made a low bow… and… back to present time, she was on the verge of tears. When she read that king Regis Caelum had been killed by the enemy nation her heart started to ache, but that still did not prepare her for what her eyes saw next. Prince Noctis, the only child of Regis, couldn't be found anywhere. Eventually he was declared dead.

That made Luna brace herself as if she had been injured. Severely injured.

Then she felt something. Something moved. Something was stirring and it hurt her.

"Your father loved you so much!" she whispered to the unborn infant.

Her 5th month of pregnancy was almost complete. The doctors told her she would give birth to a boy. Now her son sensed her grief and was suffering too. It was a bitter-sweet pain for Luna. She tried her best to ignore his kicks by telling herself he would grow up wise and powerful. She caressed the place where he slept.

"We loved you so much. We always will."

The door of her room opened and in walked Luna's younger sister, carrying the tray with two cups of hot tea. A thin layer of white steam was floating above them.

"Luna? Dear, you don't seem well."

The two sisters were very much alike. Both had long, blonde hair, both opted for dressing in white, both had blue eyes and, better yet, they were both princesses. Stella knew all about the planned wedding. It should not have been much time until the day Noctis and Luna would have officially become husband and wife. More exactly, their wedding was set the next month. Stella was very happy when she heard this exciting news. She had offered to arrange their garden, to buy flowers of all colors, to write the guests list. She also wished to help Luna step into her bride dress when the time would come and style her hair. Consequently, Luna often said she could have never asked for a better sister.

"It's… fine. My son is just telling me how bad he wants to enter the football team."

Stella cocked an eyebrow, then laughed as she lay the tray on the table.

"Best if I put this here before I drop it!"

"Yes. Thank you for bringing it."

"Well, I couldn't leave it up to you. I'm sure your son is serious about entering that football team, right? Which means, you ought to stay as relaxed as possible."

Luna nodded with a small smile.

"Sometimes it's so difficult to even walk to the bathroom."

Stella reached for her hand and held it encouragingly.

"I believe in you. I believe you will give Noctis a wonderful child."

Eyes wide open. Hearing the name of her lover, Luna felt her flesh turning into ice. Or perhaps it could have been Noctis's ghostly presence behind her, embracing her with his cold, dead arms. The thought pierced her heart like a heavy, sharp blade. If until ten minutes ago this was the name that brought sincere happiness on her face, now it became a simple word, most likely part of a requiem. Sinister. Macabre.

"Luna? Is something the matter?" Stella shook her hand a little.

No answer.

"Please don't tell me you've had a fight with Noctis. That's out of the question!"

Again that name. Again the blade stabbed her. Worse yet, her child began to stir harder. It almost made her pass out. Too much pain…

"Have you not… read the newspaper?" Luna hissed powerlessly.

"Um, no?"

Curious, Stella stood up from her place and her gaze fell involuntarily on the floor. It was still there, left where it had slipped out of Luna's grasp. As she bent to pick it up, she managed to read the headliner. No. Oh please! No. She sat before her sister and delved into the content. Luna remained silent all the while, pushing her hands on her stomach to appease her son. With every sentence that Stella read in perfect silence, Luna's heart throbbed and pounded and writhed. Suddenly, the younger sister let out a scared gasp.

"King Regis!" she exclaimed, "How could they? He was a man of honor!"

Luna choked a sob.

"It looks like the empire was not impressed by it."

Stella blinked furiously at the page, then started reading it aloud.

"After the king's death, Niflheim has successfully taken over the Crown City. Emperor Idola's first order was to establish a provisional government for the Kingdom of Lucis. When interviewed, he stated that the victims of the attack will benefit from free treatment during their recovery. However, that is not at all helpful because a great number of the injured have already met their end. The emperor does not wish to comment on this tragic event. As for our city, we are led to believe the empire will rebuilt it in the future, but we will no longer be under our noble king Regis's protection. Farewell, Your Majesty. It has definitely been an honor for us to be named your people. We pray to goddess Etro that she places your soul among the many heroes of our kingdom and that you receive your rightful peace."

A strong breath of wind gushed into the room. Stella's hand trembled on the newspaper. Luna took her cup of tea and sipped from it slowly.

"What is going to happen to the kingdom?!" Stella almost cried, "Without their king, who is going to lead them? What interest does the emperor have in Insomnia? His attack resulted in the destruction of the capital! The death of so many innocent people!"

"Among which…" Luna said bitterly.

And Stella's cheeks were left pale, chalky white. She was quick to understand what that meant. She kept reading, although she did not wish to.

"Recently, there has been no sign of the royal family. Asked about survivors, emperor Idola was not reluctant to inform the authorities that not even our prince, Noctis Caelum, made it out alive. His death marks the end of our days as kingdom. Although it is hard for us to reorganize in such dreadful conditions, the empire of Niflheim demands us to–"

Stella could not read anymore, while Luna found the taste of tea like iron.

"He's… NO! There must be something!"

"It's over, Stella." the older sister said.

"But the wedding! Luna, we already have your dress ready!"

Both sisters looked at each other helplessly. The sun on the sky was not able to warm their hearts. The flowers in the vase were not able to make them smile.

"Oh, my dear! I'm so sorry!"

Stella got up again to kneel next to Luna and hold her tight in an embrace.

"I'm so sorry about the kingdom! About Regis's death! About…"

Luna stayed still as the child continued to kick her. She bit on her lip when the pain became unbearable.

"Noctis."

Stella wept on her shoulder.

"Yes. Him too. I would've… loved to see you two… on your wedding day!"

But Luna shook her head, then turned to her sister.

"That's the name I want to give to my son. I'm giving him the name of his father."

Only after those words did she start crying. At first, only small tears trailed from her eyes. When lovely memories of Noctis and her together flooded her mind, she lost control. She surrendered to despair. Her palms hid her face and she buried it there, releasing loud cries. Stella tried to comfort her, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She just petted Luna's wavy hair.

"My son will need his father! What am I supposed to tell him?"

As though he had understood, five-month-old Noctis protested against the outside suffering. His limbs convulsed. He would have cried too if he had known how.

"Oh, this hurts." Luna said, curling as much as she could.

Stella, frightened by what she saw, suggested that she should lie down in bed, instead of sitting at the table. Even though Luna wanted to run out in the street and convict the entire Niflheim population to eternal torment, she knew she had to keep strong for the sake of her child.

"Shh! There, little one. I am here to protect you."

She shut her eyes, thinking again of her husband.

"If Noctis were here, he would talk to you day and night. He'd tell you all the myths of the earth. The old gods, the impossible love between the sea and the sky… He used to tell me stories every time we were together."

With Stella's help, she walked to her bed. Sharp cramps comprised her body until she was finally lying there. Stella put her tea cup on the nightstand, although Luna didn't seem willing to eat or drink anything.

"You must feed yourself, dear. Think about your child. He needs you to take care of yourself so that he can be well too."

"Right."

"I'm going to bring you breakfast. Please try to get some rest."

"Thank you, Stella." the future mother said.

Once she was by herself, she sought refuge in speaking with small Noctis. She eventually drank her tea and even sang a song for her child as she massaged the place where he was. She told him of the waterfalls surrounding Altissa, of how people believed the location had been blessed by the gods, of how they managed to build a marvelous city in the heart of nature. Every now and then you could hear the soothing sound of water as you were walking in the streets.

"Do you wish to know the way your father proposed to me?" Luna asked her baby.

She did not receive an answer, but, miraculously, the pain from his kicks receded.

"Not many thought Noctis was an incurable romantic. He loved to stay awake at night. King Regis must have chosen the perfect name for him! Whenever the moon was high in the sky, he would lie awake. If I happened to be tired, he'd let me sleep. If not, he'd wake me up with a kiss and ask me to join him on the terrace."

Luna laughed as the memory of one particular night came back to her.

"He visited me five months ago, my son. Due to traffic jams he arrived a little late, in the evening. Warm shadows were falling on the buildings of Altissa. People were returning home after another work's day. He parked his Audi R8 in front of my family's manor. Oh, I remember it well! His friends were also with him. There was… Ignis, his advisor, there was… Gladiolus, his spiritual shield, oh and Prompto! Prompto always had his camera close. He was laying eyes on Altissa for the first time and the photographer within him was interested in taking as many pictures as possible. Click-click-click! Unstoppable, his index finger kept pressing the button."

She glanced over her shoulder to watch the morning sun. The glass door leading to her balcony was open, bringing pleasant air inside. She took it in, hoping the beauty of nature would snap her out of her steadily installing depression.

"My sister, Stella, found Prompto very dashing. It was love at first sight, she told me afterwards. They are good friends today. I often run into Stella sending him messages on Snapchat. His replies are usually followed by images taken by him. I sure hope their relationship evolves well. Back to Noctis and I, we sat together in this balcony. Right here, sweetheart. We were… right… here."

A sob. A sniff.

"He told me of his kingdom. I told him of my life here in Accordo's capital city. Then he offered to take me out to a walk. Soon, we were outside – two ordinary people doing what ordinary people do. He bought me ice cream. We sat on a bench. Then we strolled through a park. It was spring, if I recall. All the trees were in bloom. The scent was wonderful. We stood under their delicate flowers, hand in hand. He said he had something very important to ask me. By the time we finished our walk, the moon was above us. It was the most beautiful night in my whole life! That was when he proposed to me, saying he needed us to be together every day. Look, dear. I still bear the engagement ring he gave me. It is slim and silvered."

Suddenly, Stella returned with breakfast. Nevertheless, nothing could distract her from reminiscing her time spent with the one she loved most. The first thing Stella noticed was how teary Luna's eyes were, how tight her fists were squeezed and how lost she looked as her head was turned to right, towards the sun rays.

"He may have been shy around others, but he had absolutely nothing to hide as long as he was by my side. He may have been reluctant to talk too much, but he always told me 'I love you', even though he was repeating himself a hundred times. Nobody knew him better than I did! He was… my light, my hope, my joy. And he is your father, Noctis. You must promise me you'll live up to his name."

There was a long silence.

"Luna? Who are you talking to?"

"Oh. I was confessing to my son. I told him a story and now he is feeling better."

Both sisters were fully aware of the fact Luna was slipping into something dark, something terrible. The sadness could choke the strength out of her, which would undoubtedly harm her child. Stella blinked her own tears away and sat on the bed, tracing her fingers on Luna's cheek.

"Time will settle it all. Until then I will be here to offer you everything I can."

"You're so sweet, Stella."

"But this slice of bread with honey is even sweeter! How about you taste it?"

Luna did crack a smile. Her sister would be the most valuable remedy throughout her upcoming hard days. She ate what had been prepared for her, then rested her head on the pillow.

"Could you turn the TV on, please?"

Stella reached for the remote and began to switch the channels. What would Luna like to watch? Sports? Music? A reality show? Not now, to say the least. She found by chance a channel that broadcasted 'breaking' news. Fearing it would aggravate Luna's state of mind, she outstretched her hand towards the screen to quickly skip the image, but her sister had already caught a glimpse of it.

"Stop here."

"We're… watching the news?" Stella asked in a funny tone, "Like dad? How did we end up this way?"

Before Luna could answer, the TV screen showcased flames spread in all directions, people running and screaming in the streets. Her face turned stoic and cold. Barely did she blink as a reporter surrounded by collapsed buildings expressed his concern about the damage done to the Crown City. Luna furrowed after he finished speaking. Why did emperor Idola say he'd help the citizens? If nothing else, he made things worse! Many roads were blocked, imperial troops patrolled among children, bodies were covered, ready to be taken to the morgue. Then she remembered! Noctis could have been one of these bodies. She placed her head on Stella's shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to watch this?"

"Yes. Please don't change the channel. I want to see what's happening in Insomnia."

"Is it Insomnia we're looking at?" Stella shrieked, "It hardly seems recognizable."

The image shifted to the citadel – the place where king Regis would often be seen. At times, Noctis would stand by his side and the cameras would be trained on the two of them as they stepped into the spotlight.

"There!" Luna exclaimed, "The one over there!"

On the grandiose flight of stairs, in the middle of a crimson carpet, stood emperor Idola, surrounded by the media. He was wearing a military uniform despite his considerable age. A wicked smile framed his full lips. Stella's gaze could have killed as she stared at the screen, while Luna held back the desire to scream. Behold the one responsible for the tragedy…

"Not only is the king dead," said one of the reporters, "but also our prince of Lucis is nowhere to be found. Will you turn your back on this? Does the death of king Regis not affect your conscience?"

The microphone was leaned towards the aged man, who took a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his face.

"He's doing that to add to the effect!" Stella accused in outrage.

Then she heard such an unpleasant voice, it could only have belonged to a villain like Idola.

"I have naught to say regarding Regis's death. The welfare of my conscience should not be your concern. As for the future of Insomnia – no! The future of all Lucis, a provisional government is to be established here until the empire of Niflheim completely occupies these lands. It is time you embraced reality: Lucis will be annexed to Niflheim. Enough people have already lost their lives, of that I am certain. But so many will live to see the dawn of a bigger empire."

"YOU COWARD! YOU PATHETIC LIAR!" Luna cried, "First you destroy their homes and annihilate the ones they love, then you say they'll live to see a dawn!?"

Stella instantly gathered her in her arms.

"YOU killed their king! YOU killed my husband!"

Fresh tears fell from her blue eyes. She shivered in her sister's embrace, overwhelmed by feelings of hate, sadness and revenge. If Noctis did not live any longer to avenge the loss of Insomnia, then she would spring forth to make Idola pay for his crimes. She would gladly do it for him.

"Luna, sweetie," said Stella, "you're scaring the baby. You don't want him to start kicking you again."

Had she not been pregnant, Luna would have signed up to join the army. She sighed heavily, realizing little Noctis's health was her top priority. Then Stella rocked her gently and she regained her composure. The TV showed seas of people rushing to see emperor Idola speak, but he was already leaving the scene like a professional actor who had played his role to the very end. One soldier approached him. What his question was the two young women could not understand, for the cameras were not close to them anymore. However, Idola was loud enough when he answered evilly. It was as if he spit the words out of his mouth.

"Of course I will send brigades to go look for him! You needn't have told me that. I don't care what the authorities have declared. I will not believe he is dead until I have his dead body at my feet! Now, if you please, let us go inside…"

And the transmission was over. Stupefied, Stella turned off the TV.

"Does he mean… Does he mean the rumors about prince Noctis being dead are fake!?"

A tremor of hope shot through Luna's heart.

"You heard well how angry he was. That must be because he has no evidence to prove his false affirmation."

"Oh, boy… So he's alive! Safe and sound, somewhere out there."

"Could it be?" asked Luna in a weak voice.

"Perhaps he's on his way to us!" suggested Stella, "Correction, to you."

The future mother blushed without noticing.

"It sounds too well. If only if it were true."

"But it's clear that Idola's frustrated as hell. You're right, Luna. That part where he said he'd send brigades to go looking for him? It makes sense now. Noctis is on the run, with the imperial army on his track."

Still, they did not know where he was heading to. Or if he was alone. A multitude of possibilities… To prove them right, at that very moment Stella's phone vibrated on the table. The princesses looked curious at each other. Luna lay down in bed again, hoping she'd get some more sleep. Stella, meanwhile, checked her phone. She opened her Snapchat and was greeted by… a message from Prompto. Her eyes widened as much as they could.

"Sis? I think you should check this out."

She brought the screen close to Luna, who read the text aloud for the two of them.

"I've missed you dearly, Stella. I've been trying to send you this message all day but those blasted Niflheim monsters have messed with our internet too! Now I've finally reached an area with decent signal. I think you're already familiar with the news. Noct's city has been taken over. And his dad shot by that self-proclaimed emperor. It hurts me to look at Noct. Really, when I see the pain in his eyes I can somehow feel it. We're traveling with his Regalia, which needs service, by the by. It is a car for the city! Not for the unpaved country roads! Today Ignis got it scraped unfortunately. Oh well. We're filling it up at the moment. Gladio is filling it up, better said. Ignis has gone to buy us something to crunch. I'm sitting at a table in this gas station called 'Coernix'. Noct is… um… Honestly, he told us he needs some time alone. I hate that, because I know isolation won't do him good! I wish I could help him. But then again, I'm sure your sister will show better progress on this subject. Seriously, Luna is a miracle-doer! Noct's face used to light up every time he'd see her. We're on our way to Altissa. Ignis said we'd find you two there and I trust Ignis with all my might. Anyway, my dear, how have you been these days? We will soon get to talk! Take care of you."

The sisters could not utter a word. God, it seemed unreal! A minute ago Idola had spoken about the dark future of Lucis and now… now they found a beacon of hope. Stella laughed, feeling she had broken free of the sadness.

"He called me 'my dear'! He's coming to see us!"

"Prompto is such a sweetheart!" agreed Luna with a wide smile.

The phone made a short 'beep' and an image began loading on the screen. As soon as it became clear, Luna hid her lips behind her palm. Oh, Etro! Thank you, thank you so much! The image showed four men whom she recognized immediately. It was most probably a selfie taken by Prompto. He was sitting next to Ignis, who focused his attention forward, and not to the camera. He must have been driving the car. Prompto, unlike him, was as easygoing and carefree as usual, keeping his childish smile on his face. On the back bench sat Gladiolus, frowning at the camera as though he had not prepared himself for getting his features immortalized. And the last member of the group was Luna's husband, hypothetically dead – Noctis. Yet, by his miserable expression, one could have said he was not too far away from being dead. Luna's fingers gently touched the screen to zoom in. She noticed the severe bloodshot around Noctis's tightly closed eyes. She was taken aback by how pale his skin seemed. There was no doubt about it – he deserved some time to recover properly. The color had nearly faded from his sensual lips. Never once had she seen him so exhausted. As if life itself, ruthless, had challenged him too harshly.

"My beloved prince…" she whispered with regret.

Stella pat her shoulder.

"He is weak, but alive. And trust me, when he gets here, when he lays eyes on how nicely his son has grown, he'll be like born anew! You two are actually going to get married!"

They shared another long embrace, as Stella nuzzled her nose on the top of Luna's head. So scared had they been by the news that Prompto's message along with his attached photo astonished them. However, it was evident: Noctis and his friends were on their way to Altissa. Their exact location was not mentioned, but Prompto said something about a gas station called 'Coernix'.

"That has to be the Duscae region, right?"

"Yes. It's at least a two days' ride from here."

"Two days." Luna repeated for herself, "Two days."

She wiped away what was left of her old traces of tears. Stella gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

"Get some sleep, sis. This morning has been too big for both of us!"

"I might as well. Thank you, my dear."

"Oh, now you're reminding me of Prompto!"

"Is that bad?"

"N-No, but I'm missing him, you know. I think I'll send him a reply."

Luna made herself comfortable on the bed before drifting off to the land of dreams.

"Have fun, Stella."

The younger sister got up chuckling as she opened her phone. After her departure, a flock of merry birds stopped in the tree next to the balcony. They chirped for a while, then flew away.

"Did you hear that, Noctis?" Luna asked her child, "They have sung you of their happiness. Sleep well. Your father will soon be with us."

! Here's a gift for my dear readers !

Sneak peak on the next chapter:

Cor Leonis gave him a piercing look, one that could shatter bones into pieces. One that could make the color fade from anybody's cheeks. Noctis did not stand confronting those severe, cold eyes. Overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, he let his head down, struggling to keep his breath under control. The more he felt Cor's gaze trained on him, the more his heart throbbed.

"Prince," said the other man, "how long will you remain the protected…"

Hearing such, Noctis felt anger overtaking him. He couldn't deny it. Something was wrong. He wanted Cor to stop talking! No! Why should he listen to this!? It hurt so much… His lips trembled in anticipation. Anticipation of disaster.

"…when the king has left protecting the people to you?"

Given the appropriate impulse, everything began to spin madly around the prince, whose sight darkened all of a sudden. But was it not true that he lost Insomnia? Ney, all of his kingdom? Was it not true that many people were being taken over as they spoke? Words. What were words? How could these words harm him? Why did these words harm him?

"He left it to me?" asked Noctis, although it was as if he were addressing to himself.

He did not raise his eyes, while his voice was powerless. It frightened him to think he had got so… so worthless and fragile. Oh, his strength! Oh, his might! Where were they? Why did they leave him now, when he needed them most!? Tension was rising between the five men. Noctis closed his eyes for a brief moment. He silently revised the terrible events of that day. He had been on a ride in the country with his best friends. They had had such a wonderful time! The sun had shone on them, the pure green of the lands had appeased their troubled minds, the music playing on the radio had brought smiles on their lips. Until that horrible broadcast! Until Ignis turned up the radio to listen to the news. That was when they returned, frightened and worried. Access into the capital was denied to them. The king was dead. The king died confident that his son will become the light that will lead his people. Right! Noctis should have been their hope, their protector! Ironically, he felt alien with those two at the time being. Opening his eyes again… he… he lost himself.

"THEN WHY DIDN'T HE TELL ME? HE SENT ME OFF WITH A SMILE!"

...

To be continued...